Neighbors to the Con Ed substation at 164 Garfield Ave., Rosebank, fear that there is a problem with contaminated soil. "There were guys in masks here a week ago," said one resident on Sept. 21.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- FORT WADSWORTH -- Residents of Garfield Avenue and Fillmore Place are worried. They fear they are being kept in the dark about what they believe is a toxic cleanup, outside the Con Edison substation at 164 Garfield Ave. They say the work — or whatever is being worked on — has made some of them sick.

On Monday, the street was clogged with vehicles and other equipment from Clean Harbors, a company that responds to environmental emergencies throughout North America, and, by its own account, “can handle a wide range of hazardous materials including oil, gasoline, chemical, PCBs, and biological hazards.”

When the Advance first queried Con Edison last week about activity at the site, spokesperson Chris Olert responded that it was “a DEP (city Department of Environmental Protection) sewer project.”

DEP reported something different on Monday morning.

“Con Edison is conducting the soil remediation at this location,” said DEP spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla in an e-mail to the Advance. “Please contact them for details. DEP will repair a collapsed sewer upon completion of this remediation work,” she wrote.

A reporter counted five Con Edison personnel walking around the Garfield Avenue site on Monday afternoon, all of them wearing the company’s blue hard-hats; two Con Edison vehicles were parked on the street.

Spokesman Olert explained their presence this way, in an e-mail: “Con Edison supervisors and inspectors are making certain that the job is done properly.”

Clean Harbors is a company that responds to environmental emergencies throughout North America. Concerned residents on Garfield Avenue are demanding information about the type of emergency environmental cleanup in progress.

Con Edison continued to insist that “remediation” of hazardous material was not in progress, despite the presence of clearly marked vehicles and other equipment from the Clean Harbors company.

‘NOT REMEDIATION’

This is not remediation,” Olert told the Advance. “It is site preparation for DEP to repair the broken sewer line. “It’s a DEP job, with which we are assisting.

“Our construction contractor is trenching and shoring up the excavation, and Clean Harbors is removing sludge so DEP can access the sewer line and fix it. No agency has determined this is remediation.”

We asked if the presence of vehicles and equipment from Clean Harbors indicates that the ongoing work is an environmental response.

“Yes,” spokesman Olert replied. “Diesel oil and motor oil was found in the trench.

“A sewage pipe broke outside of our station; to expedite its repair we are working with the city DEP to excavate the trench so that it could make the sewer pipe repair. We wanted to be certain it was clean, since it adjoins our facility, and since there was a report of an oily sheen, we wanted to be able to test and make sure we are in compliance.

“We also had the qualified contractors available,” he explained. “DEP’s contractor, Delaney, was not certified in the event (that) hazardous materials are discovered.”

The latest from Con Edison at press time: “Our preparation work may be wrapped up” as early as tomorrow. “DEP may be pumping until it can get the sewer line repaired.”